1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to user interfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to interfaces for user generated media lists.
2. Background Art
Internet access devices such as desktop and notebook computers, mobile phones, video game consoles, and other devices provide convenient ways for people to keep in contact with friends, family and associates and to access a wide variety of rich media, such as music and video content. With a wide variety of content, both amateur and professional, conveniently available with the click of a mouse button, media streaming over the Internet has become the preferred entertainment delivery method of choice for many people. Free from the set schedules and limited scope of content offered by traditional media delivery methods such as broadcast radio and television, more people are discovering that accessing media over the Internet better suits their needs and lifestyles. In particular, by providing robust community features such as video commenting, website embedding, keyword tagging, popularity rankings, link sharing, and other features, media streaming over the Internet can provide a level of compelling interactivity that is missing in traditional methods of content delivery.
The recent popularity of online social networking has also changed the way many people communicate, allowing people to broadcast new and exciting developments and receive feedback almost instantly with their online communities. This ease of communication facilitates the rapid promotion of media that people find interesting and want to share with others, spreading through e-mail, instant messages, social networking, websites, and other online outlets. By receiving a media link from an esteemed colleague or an influential personality rather than a corporate public relations person, people may be more receptive to viewing the media and sharing it with their own online social circle. This cascading “going viral” effect can generate tremendous exposure and publicity.
From the perspective of an Internet content provider, such viral effects may be desirable to promote brand awareness and to create additional advertising revenue. However, it is often difficult for commercial entities to create or initiate the “viral” effect as the phenomenon is largely spontaneous and initiated by users of their own volition. Moreover, attempts by commercial companies or marketers to create “viral” effects are often viewed by the Internet community as dishonest and may therefore backfire.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing Internet content providers a way to encourage and initiate “viral” publicity effects for online media in a manner acceptable to the Internet community.